TestTube essentially woos the YouTube generation, but specifically includes content that is both entertaining and informative. This dynamic combination eludes other video sites like Vevo, Metacafe, Break, Vimeo, Veoh, and Dailymotion. It also hosts lengthy videos, foregoing the video-clip business model of Twitter’s Vine service.

The Internet is an unwieldy place. It has no boundaries and can (and does) accommodate every form of self-expression. From student films to ambient sound montages, from amateur frottage voyeurism to cute flash videos — it’s all there. The Internet’s lack of content control has been the engine for entirely new business models.

TestTube, however, travels a different road. When the channel launched the chief digital officer of Discovery Communications, Jean-Briac Perrette, said the company’s goal was to be the No. 1 nonfiction media and video company on all screens. TestTube is surely a part of that plan, as a voice for their parent company who wants to forego the frivolous and produce content that is useful and informative.

Don’t confuse “frivolous” with “irreverence,” however. “Our shows are authentic, challenging and irreverent,” states TestTube’s website. Unlike sites like WebMD, MathTV, or AcademicEarth, TestTube aims to disseminate serious information in an entertaining way. For instance, Cristen Conger is an engaging host who talks about embarrassing and awkward “girl stuff” in her show, Stuff Mom Never Told You. Similarly, Tory Belleci, the co-host of Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters, is committed to helping people with personal issues while Tory uses an arsenal of explosives and pyrotechnics. Not surprisingly, his show is called Blow It Up!

Yes, the TestTube crew is an irreverent bunch. But after spending a few hours on the site, you’ll undoubtedly have a substantive insight into the world around you. And you won’t feel like you’ve wasted an entire afternoon watching family reunion bloopers.

Based in San Francisco, Eric Searleman is a senior editor at aNewDomain.net. He’s worked as a newspaper reporter, a fiction editor, a comic book artist — and even a rocker. He’s edited novels for Eraserhead Press including “Trashland A Go Go,” and he’s illustrated books for Immedium including “Animals Don’t, So I Won’t,” Read Eric’s blog about superheroes http://superheronovels.com/author/esearleman/ or check out his bio on aNewDomain.net